I’m organizing my workshop and I’ve come to the point of needing to decide on how to do it. I was either thinking of pegboard or just making my own. Making my own would be more fun and maybe more customized but it wouldn’t be as modular, especially since this is my first go at organization. I might want to change stuff around.

The pegboard would make it much easier to move things around the way I want them. I’ve just heard of the annoyances that pegboards can bring someone. Like the hooks falling off… well that’s pretty much it. But I can imagine that being annoying. I’ve read of plastic pegboards and plastic hooks. Maybe those are better. Just looking for some information from you guys that have tried with and without pegboards and which way you like best. Maybe hybrid?

21 replies so far

I like just plane old plywood. Give it a coat of paint and your ready to hang stuff on it. Use simple hardware – nails, screws, screw in hangers, hooks, etc. and they want fall out either. You can also make the typical wooden hangers for wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. These are fun to make, look good, and hold the tools better. All of these hangers are cheaper than peg board hangers, too. Have fun.

Another option is a French cleat system. Bigredknothead has a great setup with a nice project blog showing how he built it. Do a quick search using the search and you’ll probably find a few more great examples.

That said, you can’t beat a pegboard for cost and speed. My has done just fine by me :)

-- Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx

Another option is a French cleat system. Bigredknothead has a great setup with a nice project blog showing how he built it. Do a quick search using the search and you’ll probably find a few more great examples.

That said, you can’t beat a pegboard for cost and speed. My has done just fine by me :)

-- Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx

When I first started spending time in the garage, I put up a pegboard. No regrets at all, minimal effort in making it and it has served me well.

Ideally I’d like a french cleat system, but that’s down the road a bit.For the effort, energy and cost, you’ll get a lot of use out of a pegboard and it’s not a lifelong commitment.I bought two sheets of pegboard from HD and framed the backs of them to keep it off the wall enough for the hooks. It’ ain’t pretty, but it works.

I used pegboard for awhile. It’s cheap and I like that it comesin white because it brightens the shop. My shop accumulationhas become too dense for pegboard to serve anymore, butI still like it. I had some little shelves for hand planes made froma piece of wood with a couple of L hooks in the back.

I had a wall of pegboard already in place when I bought my house but I chose slatboard

for the bulk of my shop just because I liked the look a little better. It is kind of pricy if you buy new but if you can find it used it could be an option. I purchased mine for $4 a sheet so it was very inexpensive.

I started off with walls of pegboard, but I recently took out the pegboard and put in a French cleat system instead. I find the French cleats to be far more versatile. Also, since I can build my own tool hangers, I find myself making a lot better use of space too. I used the pegboard to make a hanging storage cabinet. This was a far more efficient use of space for me. I can post some pictures when I make it out to the shop again.

I have pegboard the former owner used in the shop. It is nice enough, works and having raided a few box stores for hangers it has been cheap to make a fixture. In some places I have used the French cleat system and it works as well. Either works well or a combination. White does reflect light and I have used this on the ceiling and it has served me well for many years. Having run into cabinets that nobody wanted I have filled up my wall space with cabinets and have less and less wall space to where it wouldn’t matter if I put up sheetrock. (Laughing) Your shop is a place of transition, as you get more experience, tools and your interest change so shall how you hang and store all that cool stuff. My take anyway…......

I had started in my shop with pegboards and they did just fine. It’s versatile and quick to set up. You can even make small shelves using a piece of lumber and the metal clips that will hold a decent amount of weight.

I went to a french cleat system in the last couple months because it also seamed versatile and allowed me to not just change small things easily (like chisel holders or screwdrivers), but also my cabinets I’ve started to build. With the cleats, I can move these things anywhere. It also helped to consolidate some of my things while making them a little more accessible. I’m currently making some newer cabinets that will be nicer and more intricate for practice, but quick and dirty works too, as can be seen below. Now I feel like I have a bit more room to work with.

You could probably do some sort of combination. Peg board is a great way to start getting stuff organized, then over time when things become more permanent then move to wall mounted tool boxes with doors to add more room to the wall. It’s a great way to add storage space and put like tools together.

As I was building my shop, I put 1/4” lauan on the bottom 4’ of each wall and 1/4” white pegboard on the top 4’ of each wall. In addition to the utility of the pegboard, using white negated the need to paint and it brightens the shop considerably. If I had it to do all over again, I’d do exactly the same thing.

I enjoyed reading all the different ways wood works finished out their workshop. I must admit I was a little surprise that no one mentioned using OSB on their walls. This is the choise I made when I was finishing out the interior of my shop. Never have a problem wondering about finding studs hang cabinets or wall brackets for shelving. I wanted a wall that would handle what ever I wanted to attach to it. I also found that OSB was cheaper than sheetrock of painted pegboard. Haven’t bothered to paint it yet but I’ve got it on my “to do list”, LOL. Left the ceiling open to use for storage between 2×10’s for second floor. Will probable use OSB again when I get around to finishing off the second level of shop. Will install a drop ceiling to to help with light and maintain excess to roof rafter and air flow. Check out shop photo for a view.